Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1887-09-24
COMMUNICATIONS
A Few Questions and Facts, With Some
Expressions Of Wise and True Men.

causing the destruction Of millions of dollars
worth Of property. the loss Of the means OF
support OF Thousands OF poor families, bitter
ness OF feeling among friends Of all olasses,
and double taxation, when by simple legis-
iative enactment the sale OF liquor can be
prohibited In towns and cities. a. 1t has been
done under the four mile law in the country
The Prohibitionists claim that the fight Is
against saloons. Then why not close those
IN the city, as they did those in the country,
by an act OF the Legisataref Prohibition
lenders win not undertake TO answer this
question. for they cannot DO 20 without show.
Ing the criminality OF their real object, and
the consequent loss OF their better class OF
followers.
Why seek TO impose the fsnatical policy OF
Prohibition upon the people OF Tennessee
when II Is we'll known that It hts proven q
failure In every State that has tried tn The
State Of Maine has had It for thirty-slx years,
and IL Is rapidly declining In population and
general prosperity. Vermont hos had IL for
thirty years, and Ia at stand still. gaining
nothing in wealth or general prosperity.
Rhode Island has had II less than two years.
and It's people are now demanding It's repeal,
all claiming 1t failure. Iowa has had 1t but
few years, and now through the Infamous
operations OF informers, spies and detectives,
reign OF terror exists within her borders.
On the first OF the present month, one OF the
largest Democratic conventions ever held In
the State demanded its repeal and return to
the license system, such as we now have In
Tennessee. Yet with oil OF these facts fully
known, there are some people VINO are seek
ing TO enforce this ruinous policy upon the
prosperous and free State OF Tennessee. How
very strange. The imp OF insanity, or his
satanic majesty OF hades, one or the other, or
botl, must be playing around loose.
Prohibitionists have the right TO use liquor,
ottRot, as they please, but they have no right,
morally or constitutionally, to say that others
shall or shall not use 1t. This is the law OF
freedom fpr which our forefathers fought and
died: "Every man has freedom to do all he
wills, provided he infringes not upon the
equal freedom OF any other man."
"Forget not, pray you, the rights Of per-
sonal freedom Self-government is the
foundation of our political and social institu-
tionss and IL Is by self-government alone that
the law OF temperance can be enforced. Seek
not TO enforce upon your brother by leglsln-
tive enactment that virtue which he can pos
aess only by the dictates OF his own conscience
and the enargy Of his own will."--President
John Quincy Adams
AProhibitionists assume that the citizen Ia
incapable OF personal self-government In re-
spect to the use OF alcoiiol, ard would put
guard over his mouth to see that none enters.
Their theory Is at war with the theory OF our
Government. They are sapping and mining
the. very foundations OF our free institutions
In denying the power ofthe citizen to govern
himself and his appetites, tor upon the exist
ence of this power depends the stability of
our Government. "-Senator Coke. OF Texas.
"Lesislation on this subject temperance Is
not only wrong in principle, but in every age
OF the world 1t has proven a total failure and
been aught with pernicious results. h-Sena-
tor D. W. Voorhees,.
ut Is not q grateful task, and certainly not
O popular one, to underestimate, even In
seeming, the awful evils OF the drink habit.
They are sufficiently enormous to command
for their extirpation the utmost energy and
wisdom OF every lover OF his country and his
kind. But have they so far outstripped In
growth and power the wholesome forces OF
christian civilization that these forcesAmust
be practically abandoned for legal measure
which seeks to curb the license of the vicious
by destroying the rational liberty of the vir-
Guous7 surely not Such confession would
Hmpeach Christianity itself. 1t would, more
over, defeat the end 1t had in view."-Rev.
John Snyder, st. Louis.
sThe proposed amendment, II ratified, will
in no wise prohibit the rich man from having
his drink luxuries, and IL Is possible the mid
die classes can obtain enthusiastically a
little wine for their stomach's sake, but
get except It be with difficulty. 'Tis laws OF
This clMS character that beget discomfort In
the minds OF men and makes OF them, Oft
times, lawless citizens,"-Fr Press.
ats prohibition party fanatical disregard
aud distortion of facts is shown in the con-
slant assertion that the liqRor trade is the
cause OF almost all the crime that Is COM
tted, ana o. an ,nS worst crimes ana u
and penitentiaries and almshouses would no
longer be needed vice and crime would cease
to polMte the land, and the day OF peace, love,
and plenty forever gid the joyous earth.
Could any fancy be more wildT'-Rev. SAM
uel Il. Wilson.
This was not the method of Jesus He
lived In an age OF total abstinence societies
and did not join them. He emphasized the
distinction between His method and that OF
John the Baptist by saying that John came
neither eating nor drinking; the Son OF Man
came eating and drinking. He condemned
drunkenness, but never IN q single Instance
lifted mp His voice In condemnation of drink
ing. On the contrary, He commenced His
oonsderaSs oSantty snd Of ne aaa Iins
and this apparently only to add to the joyous
festivities OF o wedding. He apparently used
wine cnstomarily u not habitualiy, and before
example for his followers sacred use of wine
in the most solemn service OF His church,
Rev. Lyman Abbott.
"Iknowfrom my own experience that when
/ was at West Point the fact that tobacco in
every form was prohibited, and the mere pos
session Of the weed severely punished, made
the majority of the cadets, myself included
try to acquire the habit Of using it."-U. s
Grant.
my abiding conviction is that no class o
persons have done, and are doing, so much
TO undermine the faith of the masses In tb,
Bible, and therefore, TO make In fidels, subver
the foundations of Christianity, aud hinde
the cause OF true temperance IN have thos,
well-meaning, but misguided persons, VIII,
advocate Prohibition and bitterly deneunc,
all who manufacture, sell or use in any meas
ure, AS a beverage, intoxicating liquors. Suct
views and measures challenge the wisdom o
God, incriminate our Saviour and repudiat
the Bible as rule OF faith and practice
Henry Ward Beecher.
"Washington, ID. O., May 10, 1ST.--My Dea
Young Friend: was never a Prohibitionsi
Never believed In sumptuary Legislation, blu
have always advocated the greatest individ
ual liberty. The editor is mistaken. TIL
trouble with Prohibition is that 1t fills tn
country with spies-makes neighbors enemie
of each other; fills the community with med
dlers-with people who poke their impuden
noses into the business OF others. Beside
Prohibition does not prohibit; 1t does no
even prohibit the Prohibitionists. "-Rober
g. Ingersoll.
"prohibition as used In this canvass mean
more than simple forbiddng, IL means hin
dering by force. Prohibitionsts would hav
had the Creator to have banished from Eide
the tree OF the knowledge of good and evi
-. - u.